Free Republic

(EXCERPTED) Lawmakers in Sacramento pass plenty of complex, arcane measures every year that can be hard to wrap your head around. But they also pass laws that can have a pretty direct impact on everyday Californians’ lives, including some coming online in 2024 that could affect your commute, your annual camping trip or your paycheck. Here are 16 new laws that will kick in next year, beginning with the ones that go into effect on Jan. 1. Kicking in on Jan. 1 Campsite reservations Gender-neutral toy sections Speed cameras Expanded paid sick and reproductive loss leave Employment protections for cannabis...

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is getting a lot of attention as millions of Texans remain without power while the state faces extreme cold. Meanwhile, ERCOT's recently elected chair and vice chair for the board of directors aren't feeling the chill like we are.

AUSTIN, Texas - Anger over Texas’ power grid failing in the face of a record winter freeze mounted Tuesday as millions of residents in the energy capital of the U.S. remained shivering with no assurances that their electricity and heat — out for 36 hours or longer in many homes — would return soon or stay on once it finally does. “I know people are angry and frustrated,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who woke up to more than 1 million people still without power in his city. “So am I.” Making matters worse, expectations that the outages would be...

This story first appeared in 1600 Daily, the White House’s evening newsletter. Subscribe now to get breaking news from President Trump before anyone else. For years, the Swamp has interfered in the lives of private American citizens by piling regulations on nearly every form of economic activity. This “expert” rule from Washington has created thousands of jobs for bureaucrats while costing everyone else time, money, and—for many—their careers.🎬 Larry Kudlow: President Trump is lifting up blue-collar workers!Today, President Trump announced more results from his Administration’s historic regulatory relief efforts. The White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) estimates that just 20 of the...

Illinois's new No Salary History law went into effect on September 29th, which means that employers will no longer be allowed to ask job applicants for past wages during the hiring process. It's a huge victory for equal pay! The practice of using past pay to determine salary offers is a major contributing factor to the gender wage gap. We want to make sure all of Illinois knows about this win for economic justice! So Women Employed has created a toolkit to help job applicants understand their rights, employers understand their responsibilities, and advocates spread the word. As a valued...

Moving to dismantle former President Barack Obama’s legacy on the environment and other issues, House Republicans approved a measure Wednesday that scuttles a regulation aimed at preventing coal mining debris from being dumped into nearby streams. Lawmakers also voted to rescind a separate rule requiring companies to disclose payments made to foreign governments relating to mining and drilling. Republicans said the votes were first in a series of actions to reverse years of what they see as excessive government regulation during Obama’s presidency. Rules on fracking, guns and federal contracting also are in the cross-hairs as the GOP moves to...

For five straight years, a study by United Van Lines says that New Jersey is the state most abandoned in all of the country, meaning the biggest percentage of out-of-state moves that it does are from New Jersey — 63 percent to be specific. We’ve spoken to so many listeners who have moved out of Jersey over the years that it was difficult to even begin a list of reasons, but here are some things we came up with, just to name a few: Property Taxes (obviously): When you talk to family and friends from out of town and realize...

OUR FOUNDING FATHERS understood that tyranny wasn’t likely to come from a foreign invasion but from the step-by-step erosion of our freedoms by an expanding government. This is what we are facing today.... ...ominous trends threaten us... ...the typical professional in this country unknowingly commits several federal crimes during a typical workday. If Uncle Sam wants to get you, he can. – An 11-year-old girl in Virginia, who saved a woodpecker from a cat, was hit with a fine for “transporting” a protected species. – A fisherman who threw back some undersize fish he had caught was hauled into court...

WASHINGTON -- As part of its “deeming” regulations announced early this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) included major decisions on cigars, namely the inclusion of premium cigars under its jurisdiction and a guidance suggesting an extension of the flavored-tobacco ban to include characterizing flavors in cigars. Before the deeming regulations were announced, an initial proposed rule contained an option to exempt cigars from FDA regulation altogether. That did not happen. “The FDA has concluded there is no appropriate public health justification for excluding premium cigars,” said Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP)....

Manufacturing was the economic growth engine of United States. It helped to create the high paying jobs, improved living standards, national wealth, military might, and tax revenues. Unfortunately, there has been a dramatic decline in the above scenario for the United States in the 21st century. The U.S is rapidly turning into non-Super Power second rate country. Manufacturing is the basis for research and development and National Defense and once represented more than 28% of the jobs in the U.S. Although the absolute number of jobs in American manufacturing was rather constant at about 17 million from 1969 to 2002,...

It wasn't greed that caused the mortgage mess. In large part, the mess was the product of government policies designed to increase home ownership among the poor and ethnic minorities. Today Peter Wallison points out how Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the FHA created a demand for bad mortgages that encouraged mortgage brokers to generate millions of them. From the Wall Street Journal: Mortgage brokers had to be able to sell their mortgages to someone. They could only produce what those above them in the distribution chain wanted to buy. In other words, they could only respond to demand, not...

New York manufacturers are growing at the slowest pace in six months as new orders shrink and shipments barely rise. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Wednesday that its Empire State Manufacturing index dropped to 6.2 in October, down sharply from a five-year high of 27.5 in September. Any figure above zero indicates growth. October’s reading is the lowest since April. …

Three years after it resumed operation of the last vestige of the old National Tube Works, U.S. Steel is pulling the plug on pipemaking in McKeesport. McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko said he is “extremely disappointed” with U.S. Steel Corp.'s announcement on Monday that it will idle indefinitely its McKeesport Tubular Operations effective in early August. “I think it is devastating for the entire Mon Valley region,” the mayor said shortly after receiving word about the shutdown of plants in McKeesport and Bellville, Texas, two of 10 plants in the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker's Tubular Products division. The announcement came 60 days before...

The Federal Reserve may be about to turn more aggressive in its regulation of the financial system. Fed Chair Janet Yellen suggested Tuesday that current regulatory rules might not be enough to prevent the kind of risk-taking that triggered the 2008 financial crisis and nearly toppled the entire banking system. She said the largest U.S. banks may need to hold additional capital to withstand periods of financial stress. Non-banks with deep reaches into the financial system might also need to meet tougher rules, she said. Such firms range from money market mutual funds to private equity and hedge funds. …

The 75 percent reduction in Americans' standard of living shows just how costly the regulatory state has been for the country over the last 56 years. Federal Regulations Cut Standard of Living by 75 Percent Over 56 Years The New American 27 June 2013 The 20th annual snapshot of the federal regulatory state published by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) last month announced the arrival of an unhappy milestone: Regulatory costs now equal more than half of all federal spending. Put another way, the real cost of government in the United States is half-again as much as the federal...

A nationwide drug shortage that's dogging the food and drug administration is hitting home with first responders. For emergency medical technicians, shortages can mean the difference between life and death. Nationwide, anti-seizure drugs including intravenous Valium, Versed, and Ativan are among the dozens of drugs - including cancer treatments - that are in short supply.

Here are three things the Obama administration has done that you probably didn’t know about: Ever struggle with those accordion-style rubber sleeves on nozzles at the gas station? The sleeve—technically a “vapor recovery nozzle”—was required by the EPA to keep gasoline vapors from leaking into the air. But most cars and trucks now have technology that does the job better, so last year the EPA abolished the nozzle requirement. Because each sleeve-equipped nozzle can cost as much as $300, the change will save gas stations thousands of dollars. Ever apply for financial aid for a child heading for college? Until...

Ryanair has been told it must look after passengers when flights are grounded by natural catastrophes, strikes and technical faults. The European Court of Justice ruling yesterday means the airline must cover the cost of meals, hotels and transport. The case dates back to the disruption caused by the eruption of a volcano in Iceland in 2010. Passengers were stranded across Europe. Ryanair alone canceled 9,400 flights due to the ash cloud. The ruling is a blow to Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary, who at first refused to abide by EU laws which state airlines should support stranded passengers until they...

Minutes after New England fishery managers took a vote that cast doubt on the historic industry’s future, the prospects most clear to Gloucester fishermen Paul Vitale were his own. “I’m bankrupt. That’s it,” said the 40-year-old father of three. “I’m all done. The boat’s going up for sale.” The New England Fishery Management Council on Wednesday approved a year-to-year cut of 77 percent on the Gulf of Maine cod limit and 61 percent for Georges Bank cod. The cuts come on top of a slew of other reductions, ranging from 10 to 71 percent, on the catch of other bottom-dwelling...

Lisa Jackson is the boss at one of the most contentious government agencies in the Obama administration and is responsible for numerous controversial actions that will have a significant financial effect on American consumers: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). So it’s no wonder Congress is miffed to discover that her decision-making process on key issues was conducted in the most secretive manner Washington has ever devised—under an alias. Jackson’s secret identity email account name is “Richard Windsor.” The name is part family dog (Richard) and part hometown (East Windsor, N.J.), and it turns out there are at least 12,000 recently...